Cigar container



sepf.29,1942 l R, G, SEALS, 2,296,830

CIGAR CONTAINER Filed Aug. 5, 1939 Patente'd Sept. 29, 1942 UNITED ASflilfES PAT EN T OFFICE v korean CONTAINER Roscoe-G. Beals, De Kalb, In. 'Applicationugust 3, 1939,'Seial-No. 288,177 2 claims. (01.229-51) This invention relates to containers, and has special reference to a container for wrapping cigars and other small articles wherein like wrapping problems are encountered.

In recent years the demand has arisen for cigar packages and packages for similar articles which are moisture tight land which are sealed over the cigar so as to prevent the escape of moisture and aroma bearing oils from the 'tobacco. A serious problem with this type of container is the diihculty of opening the same without damaging the cigar, particularly when the container is made of cellophane or similar transparent cellulosic material, and considerable loss is occasioned by the breakage ofthe fragile wrapper or outer surface member of the cigar vin opening the package. The common expedients arein general unsatisfactory for this purpose because of the fragile natureof the cigar and the ease with which the wrapper can be broken or cracked and the article thus rendered worthless.

An object of the invention is to provide a package for cigars and the like having a novel construction arranged for opening the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container for cigars and the like which can be opened without exerting pressure on the contents of the article Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a cigar encased in my improved container;

Fig. 2 is a view showing the manner in which the container is opened;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken longitudinally through the container, the cigar being shown in outline;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3 showing the positions of the two portions of the package at an intermediate stage in the separation thereof, and

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Figs. 3 and 4 showing the positions of the portions of the container shortly after the separation thereof.

The invention contemplates in its preferred form the provision of a container formed of transparent sheet material of the type now commonly used for this purpose, such as Cellophane or other processed cellulose material, and is adapted to be placed on the cigar by the usual forms of Wrapping mechanism now employed for this purpose and to be sealed thereon in the usual manner, that is, either by the use of an adhesive or by the action of heat and pressure on the sheet -incorporating which Yact as an adhesive to bind the parts tomateria-I, as, for example, as along the line 5 in the usual manner, it Abeing understood that the sheet material will be of the waterproof type therein waterproofing agents gether'under the' action of temperature andpressure. fIt will be understood, however, that the invention .is not limited to this specific sheet materialQbut that thel advantages thereof will at least in part accrue where other materials are employed.

.In Figure-1 I have shown a preferred form of the invention which includes tubes '6 and 1 formed of Cellophane or the 'like and adapted to receive the cigar therein, the tubes overlapping :in the area 8 in a manner presently to be m'ore'fully described. The free ends of the tubes are collapsed as shown at 9 and II beyond the endsof the cigar .and may, 'if desired, be overlapped as shown at 'I2 and I3, the overlapping portions being sealed either by a separate adhesive or by means of heat and pressure in the conventional manner. The usual band I4 may be supplied either on the outer surface of the container or may be placed on the cigar I5 within the container. When placed on the outer surface of the container it may be advantageously placed over the overlapping area 8 so as to conceal the junction between the tubes 6 and 1.

The tubes 6 and 1 are connected together in the area 8 to provide a joint in which the two portions can be readily severed. For this purpose the end portion I6 of the tube 1 is folded inwardly upon itself as shown in Fig. 3 in such manner that the material of the tube passes through a reversal of position at the edge I1. The end I8 of the tube 6 is received within the tube 1 and its outer surface is adhesively connected to the free surface of the fold I6 in antr of the usual well known ways. In Figs. 3 to 5, inclusive, I have shown a layer I9 which is intended to designate this adhesive connection which may be a layer of adhesive or may represent an adhesive connection formed by heat and pressure applied betwen the fold I6 and the end portion I 8. This adhesive connection is such as to completely seal the junction between the fold I6 and the end portion I8 through the complete circumference of these elements and through a relatively wide area as shown by the element I9 so as to give a substantially air and moisture-tight seal at this point.

The manner of opening the container is shown in Fig. 2, from which it will be seen that the user grasps the ends 9 and II of the container beyond the ends of the cigar I5 and by pulling on the ends in opposed directions longitudinally of the cigar, force is applied at the edge II to draw the forward edge of the fold I6 away from the tube 6, thereby causing the fold I6 to reverse its position. It will be seen that this exerts a peeling 'action on the adhesive, causing the fold and the end portion I8 to be drawn apart by movement of the fold laterally away from the surface of the end portion, as distinguished from applying a force longitudinally of the surface tending to cause the two sleeves to slide with respect to each other in the adhesively joined area. Fig. 4 I have shown the positions of the parts when the seal has been partly broken, that is, atan intermediate point in the separation of the portions of the container showing the manner in which the fold I6 reverses itself during the operation, and in Fig. 5 I have shown the position of the parts just after the fold I6 has been completely reversed and at the point when the tubes have just separated. It will be seen that this operation involves no tearing or breaking of the sheet material itself, but only the opening of the seal I9 between the tubes 6 and 1. This joint construction very greatly reduces the amount of force required to separate the two surfaces, and with this arrangement a relatively slight pull on the ends of the container causes the tubes to be peeled apart, thus liberating the cigar therefrom in the manner shown in Fig. 2. It willbe seen that during this operation it is entirely unnecessary `for any force to be applied directly to the cigar, but instead, the force is applied solely to the container. fact there is no tendency for the opening operations to break or crack the relatively fragile wrapper forming the outer surface of the cigar, the breaking of which renders the cigar useless by destroying the draft, or in other words, al-

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Because of this lowing the entrance of air into the cigar at a point other than the fired end.

The present disclosure, it will be understood,

is by way of illustration and not limitation and numerous alterations and changes may be made in the stiucture within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

l. The combination in a container for cigars of an enclosure of flexible sheet material shaped -to t the cigar and having a joint intermediate the ends thereof, the sheet material on one side of the joint being folded inwardly upon itself, the inwardly folded portion being seated against the outer surface of the sheet material on the other side of the joint and adhesively secured thereto and being the sole means for connecting opposite ends of said container, the ends of the container projecting beyond the ends of the cigar to be gripped to break the joint by pulling in opposite directions thereon.

2. The combination in a container for cigars and the like of at least two tubular sections of flexible transparent cellulosic sheet material, each closed at one end to form the ends of the container, the opposite ends of said sections overlapping in telescoping relation, the overlapping end of one of said sections being folded inwardly upon itself to form a reverse bend and bring the outer surface of the end portion of said section against the outer surface of the other section, said sections being adhesively connected together solely between the outer surface of said other section and the adjacent surface of said reverse bend so that when the end sections are drawn apart the inwardly folded end progressively passes through a reversal in position to break the adhesive connection.

ROSCOE G. BEALS. 

